Mah Jong
Living with the threat of Coronavirus!
At the moment we can't physically meet for our usual game of Mah Jong each Tuesday at 2pm
at the home of Margaret Stanger, 1 Talbot Close, Bedhampton, PO9 3HS
Contact: Christine Hogben 02392 255827 for information about the group.
Or contact Margaret Stanger 02392 619152 for information about our Zoom meetings at every fortnight, the next one is 2pm Tuesday 14th July and an invitation will be sent. We are looking at the feasibility of remote playing as part of our Zoom sessions. If the lockdown restrictions are eased enough we might be able to play Mah Jong in the garden eventually, weather permitting.
Traditional Mah Jong is an ancient Chinese strategy game. It is played with bamboo Mah Jong tiles, and was introduced to the rest of the world in the early 20th century. In traditional Mah Jong, there are usually four players and 144 Mah Jong tiles, based on Chinese characters and symbols. Each player begins with 13 tiles and takes turns drawing and discarding tiles until they form a winning hand.
We can't meet to play, so imagine you were dealt the 'hand of the week' on the right. Would you go for an ordinary Mah Jong hand or one of the Special Hands? How near is it to a winning hand? Margaret would appreciate your comments.
The last hand is close to a Dragon's Den hand with 3 4 5 in circles and characters, three different dragons and also a pair of white dragons. All you have to do is discard a 6 bamboo and wait for a 5 or 8 bamboo to turn up.
Alternatively you could play the online strategic matching game, via the link to Mah Jong Solitaire, top right. You must remove all Mah Jong tiles from the board before time runs out. There’s a catch, though! You can only select unblocked Mah Jong tiles that do not have other tiles to their right or left. It’s a race against time – the faster you go, the more points you score!